DIY Praise & Worship in 3 Steps

One of the most powerful parts of our parish’s Easter liturgies is the praise and worship. We have been very blessed with gifted musicians whose worship leads the rest of our congregation in a beautiful and powerful unison that unveils a glimpse of Heaven. This glimpse of heavenly worship is not only for Easter, though, nor is it meant to be. As St. John Paul the Great said, “We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song!”

At the heart of praise and worship are one’s love for the Lord and desire to honor him. This does not require a professional singing voice; it is something of which we are all capable. True, for some of us our songs may be more of a “joyful noise,” but to our Abba our “noise” has all the goodness of a child singing his heart out even if he is off-key. God so delights in our joyful noises that we are commanded to “Make a joyful noise” in no less than six places in the Psalms: Ps 66:1, Ps 95:1, Ps 95:2, Ps 98:4, Ps 98:6 and Ps 100:1. This can also involve musical instruments.

There are many recommended praise & worship opportunities at Christ the King Parish, particularly at Upper Room and the other parish prayer meetings (listed here), but we do not have to wait for an opportunity to arise. We can and should worship the Lord on our own.

Here are three steps to a praise & worship session. I recommend setting aside half an hour in order to enter deeply into prayer and receive what the Lord has for you. Turn off the ringer on your phone and get a pen and paper (for Steps 2 & 3).

Step 1:

Begin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Recognize that you are in his presence! Begin to praise him. A playlist like the one below may be helpful. Let the songs lead you into speaking out your praise in English or in tongues between songs.

Hosanna (Praise is Rising):

Christ is Risen:

Stronger:

Revelation Song:

Step 2:

Worship will lead you into contemplation. Sit with the Lord. Allow him to speak to you. Write down what he says to you or what he does in your heart. Writing will help you focus to receive what he has for you.

Step 3:

Respond to what the Lord said or did in Step 2. What will you do with what he has just given you? How can you thank him? Writing down your response will help you to remember it and to act on it.

Praise is not only our gift to the Lord; it is his gift to us. We draw close to him and he draws close to us. Through praise we taste the ultimate gift of Easter: the intimate union with Christ that he won for us on the cross. Praise brings us into the joy of the resurrection!

What are some of your favorite ways to praise? What helps you to enter in more deeply? Do you have any favorite praise songs (and links to them)? Please leave your comments below.

One Comment

personally i love music and even here in kenya, there are some songs which brings me down at the feet of the master Jesus.
we would like to be your prayer partner please.
yours in Hid service
Godfrey – Nairobi

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Announcements:

Upper Room's Back to School Taco Night, Friday, Sept. 13! On Sept. 13, Upper Room is kicking off the new school year with 5:30 pm Mass, a taco dinner at 6:30 pm, and Praise & Worship at 7:15. Old and young are invited to come! Dr. John Gresham will be emceeing the night and Dan Dirkes will be leading worship. Prayer ministry teams will be available! Tacos will be provided by Upper Room but please bring a side dish to share! Let's come before the Lord with joyful praise!

Join us for our first Praise 'n Play Festival on Friday, Aug. 9!

We’ll start at 6:00 pm (or right after the 5:30 pm Mass) with a FREE hot dog dinner in the courtyard next to the Parish Center Gym (the "Barn"). We'll also have a bounce house, carnival games, face painting, snow cones, and more! Please bring lawn chairs or a blanket and a side dish or dessert to share.

At 7:45 pm, we'll move into the Church for Upper Room Praise & Worship. (Note the later start time.) All ages are welcome!

Then at 9:00 pm, we'll go back outside for a Movie Night under the Stars featuring Mary Poppins Returns! Concessions will be available to purchase during the movie night.

Rain? No problem! We'll just move into the Barn. Be sure to mark your calendars. You won't want to miss this wonderful night of fellowship, worship, and fun for the whole family!!! To download a flyer to share with your friends, please click here.

Special Upper Room with Eucharistic Adoration on June 28 On Friday, June 28, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, come and worship the Lord at Upper Room with reckless abandon. Let us seek the Heart of Jesus for our strength and joy!

6:30-7 pm: Ice Cream Social celebrating the last day of Vacation Bible School. All are welcome! — Church Patio

"In the Sacred Heart every treasure of wisdom and knowledge is hidden. In that Divine Heart beats God’s infinite love for everyone,
for each one of us individually." – St. John Paul the Great

Kids Healing Workshop this Friday before Upper Room Parents, this Friday, March 22,at 6:40 pm in the St. John Paul the Great room, your kids ages 7-18 years old are invited to a workshop that will teach them how to pray with people for healing. This joy-filled workshop will incorporate worship, multimedia, witness, a presentation, and time to practice. Children will be taught that even though they are little, they have a big Holy Spirit that lives in them and that God wants to use them to do miraculous things. The children will be ministering in prayer teams that evening at Upper Room. Questions? Contact Caroline Gambale-Dirkes at cdirkes@ctkcc.net.

Mark your calendars! On Friday, Feb. 8, join us for dinner following the 5:30 pm Mass in the Gym (around 6:15 pm). A dessert or side dish would be welcomed. From 6:45-7:10 pm, children in grades K-5th will be invited to participate in a fun game, learn new hand motions, and hear a short teaching on worship. Upper Room will start at 7:15 pm in the Church Worship Space with Dan Dirkes leading music ministry. Prayer teams will be available for individuals. Refreshments will be provided afterward in the Mengeling Room.

Our next Upper Room will be on Friday, Jan. 25, at 7:15 pm with Caroline Gambale-Dirkes hosting and Tim Stout leading worship. The first hour will be praise & worship followed by an exhortation and prayer response. Refreshments will be available afterward in the Msgr. Frank McGrath Room. (The location for refreshments has been changed due to set up for Saturday's Women's Retreat.)

New year, new time! Praise & Worship starts at 7:15 pm beginning Jan. 11! We are excited to announce that amazing things are happening at Upper Room for 2019! Upper Room will start at 7:15 pm on the 2nd & 4th Fridays to make it easier for families to attend. We are also happy to announce that Dan Dirkes and Tim Stout are going to lead worship for Upper Room. Both Dan and Tim are anointed worship leaders and we are so grateful they are joining us. Our last Upper Room had 170 people present and 40 of them were young people ranging from 1 to 18 years old. It was a very powerful night of worship. We expect for 2019 more miracles, more power, and more of an outpouring of God's love on His people. Be sure to join us this Friday, Jan. 25!